Sergei Tchepikov dies at 59 as biathlon mourns

Russian biathlon is mourning Sergei Vladimirovich Tchepikov after the country’s federation announced his death on Thursday. He was 59. Tchepikov later moved into politics and became an elected member of the Russian State Duma, but his sporting career established him as one of the major figures in his country’s biathlon history.

Born in Khor, a town in the eastern part of Russia, Tchepikov competed in biathlon from 1988 until 2007. He captured the overall World Cup title in successive seasons, winning the sport’s main individual prize in 1990 and again in 1991. His world championship record included 14 medals, among them two golds won in relay competitions.

Tchepikov also collected seven Olympic medals across five editions of the Games. In biathlon, he competed at Calgary in 1988, Albertville in 1992, Lillehammer in 1994, Salt Lake City in 2002 and Turin in 2006. His Olympic gold medals came in the Calgary relay and the Lillehammer sprint, giving him titles in both a team event and an individual race.

His Olympic career also included a sixth Games appearance in another discipline. After switching to cross-country skiing, Tchepikov represented Russia at Nagano in 1998. His career therefore covered nearly two decades in biathlon, two overall World Cup victories, 14 world championship medals and seven Olympic medals before his later move into public service.